Technology including doorbell cameras is being weaponised to commit a record number of violent offences against women, new research reveals. The number of tech-enabled offences against women and girls has surged by 200 per cent, with mobile phones, doorbell cameras, smart camera glasses and social media used to harass, stalk and monitor victims.
Record Number of Offences
Over 123,000 violent offences against women and girls involving a technology element were recorded nationally in a single year, marking a 207 per cent increase in referrals from 2018 to 2024. The number of cases reported rose a further 62 per cent between 2024 and 2025.
Research by the National Police Chiefs' Council in collaboration with the charity Refuge reveals how technology is being used to control and coerce women, perpetrating crimes such as stalking, revenge porn, online harassment and AI deepfakes. Between August 2022 and July 2023, there were 123,515 violent offences against women and girls recorded nationally with an online or technology-enabled element.
Impact on Victims
Additional research suggests that a third of victims contacted the National Domestic Abuse Helpline to report that abusers used technology to intensify their abuse. A study by University College London also shows that nearly half of tech-abuse referrals to Refuge involve monitoring or controlling behaviours. Doorbell cameras and other technologies are being weaponised to commit a record number of violent crimes against women and girls.
London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan is set to announce a £6 million fund to tackle tech-enabled violence against women and girls, which he described as a 'global emergency'. The alarming statistics are being unveiled at a conference today organised by the university where the Mayor of London will speak.
Funding and Response
The fund will provide better support for victims of tech-enabled crimes. Sir Sadiq said: 'Tech-enabled Violence Against Women and Girls is a global emergency. It transcends borders and the rapid pace of technology has provided new spaces and means for men to monitor, harass and control women and girls using everyday devices.'
Conference organiser Dr Leonie Tanczer said: 'Technology-facilitated abuse is no longer a niche or emerging issue – it is sadly part of the everyday reality of coercive control. Victims and survivors are left to manage risks created by technologies, institutions and infrastructures they did not design and cannot control. That has to change.'
